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How to Launch a Successful Message Forum
Forums a.k.a.
"message boards" can
be great marketing
tools for your
website. They
attract repeat
visitors and provide
a meeting place for
them to share their
thoughts, ideas,
questions and
concerns.
Unfortunately many
webmasters that
attempt to launch a
board on their site,
end up closing it
down due to lack of
activity and
popularity.
So what's the key to
success, you ask?
Below you will find
5 quick tips on
creating and
promoting a message
board for your
website.
1. You Need
Plenty of Traffic
If your site is
receiving small
amounts of traffic
per day, then it
will be very hard to
get the
conversations going
on your board.
Keep in mind not
everyone that comes
to your site will
even notice or visit
your board, and
those that do stop
by may just browse
without posting. In
fact, the majority
of the visitors to
your board will only
look around.
Your site should be
getting at least
1,000 unique
visitors per day
before you even
launch. Don't open
it up prematurely
because it can make
your site look
uninhabited if no
one posts.
2. Create Some
Starter
Conversations
Once you've created
your board, post a
few questions to get
the ball rolling.
This may coax people
to jump in and post
some comments.
And if you are using
a free board like
http://www.phpbb.com,
you can create polls
to spark
participation.
People like
interactivity and to
give their opinion.
Post a few polls and
allow your visitors
to vote on topic.
Also, don't be
ashamed to talk to
yourself. What I
mean by that is you
may want to create a
few usernames on
your own and have
them post questions
and answers. It may
sound silly but if
you're lacking
activity, this may
help get some
conversations going.
No one will know
they aren't real
people, except you!
;)
3. Promote!
Promote! Promote!
Don't just provide
one or two links to
your message board.
Link to it from
every page on your
website. Include it
in the signature of
your emails, and if
you have a
newsletter, devote a
special edition to
the launch of your
board.
On your "Contact"
page, suggest that
your visitors post a
question on the
message board as an
alternative to
emailing you. This
will force some
people to browse the
board and possibly
find the answer they
need. If your
visitors begin
finding the board
useful, they’ll
return often and
hopefully will start
posting.
4. Keep The
Categories to a
Minimum In The
Beginning
A big mistake that
people make with new
message boards is
that they create too
many categories.
Remember that for
most new forums, the
number of posts are
going to be small at
first. So if you
have 10 categories
and only 1 or 2 are
being used, it makes
your board look
scarce.
Try creating just
one or two in the
beginning and then
once the traffic
starts coming in you
can add new ones.
5. Make The Board
Easy to Use
Don't force your
visitors to search
for instructions on
how to use your
forums. If they have
to figure things
out, they will be
discouraged and
leave. Be sure to
use a script that is
neat and intuitive.
I recommend
http://www.phpbb.com.
Not only are they
free, but the setup
is easy and the
layout is nice and
clean.
Hopefully these
quick tips will help
you as you launch
your new message
board. Again, don't
forget to promote it
like crazy. If you
can build an active
community, it can be
quite the marketing
tool for your
website.
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